Artwork to An Unknown God
The maze of cobblestone paths that winds beneath Tenjin has an old European feel by design. Paper lanterns give way to stained glass lamps and kawaii illustrations to Italian-style murals that serve as both art and landmarks. Even so, it’s disorienting in this country that’s less than 1% Christian to
TL;DR Summary: To help the church in Fukuoka long-term we need to pray, give, and go.
Prayer Focus: Pray that the seeds planted during the trip will take deep root. Pray for a safe flight home.
Living Sent to one of the largest unreached people groups on earth
Our Team (left to right): Hang Tu, Kylene Arnold, Alex Taborn, Lanny Mize, Karis Hicks, Sarah Kladler.
Prayer Calendar
May 17-19:
Preparation
Prayer Focus: Ask God to prepare each team member spiritually, emotionally, and physically for the trip. Pray for favor at work, peace at home, protection and hearts that are dependent on Christ.
May 20:
Team Unity & Focus
Prayer Focus: Pray for smooth flights, clear connections, and safe transport to your housing in Japan (Lanny, Alex, Kylene and Hang).Pray for alertness for pilots, drivers, and team leaders.
May 21:
Safe Travels & Logistics
Prayer Focus: Pray for smooth flights, clear connections, and safe transport to your housing in Japan for Sarah and Karis. Pray for alertness for pilots, drivers, and team leaders. Pray for fruitful ministry in MSCC Tokyo IQ Cafe (8pm).
May 22:
Cultural Adjustment
Prayer Focus: Pray that the team will quickly adapt to the culture, overcoming jetleg, showing respect, patience, and love. Pray for the team to navigate language barriers gracefully.
Visiting: Meiji Jingu (temple); Shibuya Crossing (dog statute); Sky Tree (tower)
May 23:
Open Hearts & Receptivity
Prayer Focus: Pray that the Holy Spirit will soften the hearts of the Japanese people you will encounter. Pray against strongholds of materialism, secularism, or obsessive pressure to overwork. We’ll be flying from Tokyo to Fukuoka 7pm.
Visiting: Shibuya Crossing (dog statute); Sensoji temple Tokyo; Rose Festivals – Jindai botanical gardens
May 24:
Sunday Service
Prayer Focus: Pray for Mustard Seed Christian Church Fukuoka to display the glory of Christ with love, truth, and joy. Pray for new visitors to clearly hear the gospel and respond in faith. Ask God to strengthen the church, encourage the believers, and use the worship, preaching, and conversations to draw people to Jesus.
Schedule:
- 9:00 AM: Set up
- 11:00 AM: Sunday Service
- 12:00 PM: Bento lunch at the church
- 1:00 PM: Table Talk (Bible discussion)
- 4:00 PM: Tear down
May 25:
Monday rest day
Prayer Focus: Pray for rest and encouragement for the Fukuoka team: David and Alyssa Wissel, their daughters Heidi and Mary, Gabe and Jesse, and William and Lydia. Ask God to refresh them physically, emotionally, and spiritually as they continue serving faithfully in Japan.
Pray also for our team, made up of members from four different churches, to enjoy meaningful fellowship, unity, and deeper relationships as we rest and spend time getting to know one another better.
May 26:
Spiritual Protection & Outreach
Prayer Focus: Put on the “Armor of God” (Ephesians 6). Pray for protection from sickness, fatigue, distraction, and spiritual discouragement as the ministry work intensifies. Pray for boldness, wisdom, and divine appointments as the team goes into the streets, coffee shops, parks, and gyms to meet people and invite them to English Connect.
May 27:
Direct Evangelism & Outreach Events
Prayer Focus: Pray for boldness to clearly and lovingly share the gospel. Pray for divine appointments and meaningful connections as the team returns to the same coffee shops, parks, and locations, that consistent presence would lead to open doors, trust, and gospel conversations through English Connect.
May 28:
English Connect
Prayer Focus: Pray that those we invite would come to English Connect to meet the Fukuoka team and practice English. Pray that every interaction with new visitors would plant gospel seeds that will grow for years to come. Pray also that returning students and existing contacts would develop a growing curiosity and desire to come to church and learn about Jesus and the gospel.
May 29:
Rest Day
Prayer Focus: Pray for rest and renewal for the team. If we travel to Nagasaki, ask God for a meaningful and reflective time at the memorial of the 26 Christians who were martyred on February 5, 1597,. Pray that it would deepen our gratitude for the gospel, strengthen our faith, and renew our courage to remain faithful to Christ.
May 30:
Out Reach (Beach Day)
Prayer Focus: Pray that team members would remain flexible, patient, and joyful when schedules change or plans do not work out. Pray for grace in unexpected moments and unity in all adjustments.
Pray also for our planned beach outing with contacts—that sharing a meal and time together would deepen friendships, build trust, and open doors for meaningful gospel conversations.
May 31:
Sunday
Prayer Focus: Pray for another Spirit-led Sunday service. Pray that Karis and Hang would lead worship with humility, clarity, and joy. Pray that the gospel would be preached faithfully and clearly, and that God would move powerfully among those present.
Pray especially for David Wissel as he preaches in Japanese for the first time—that God would give him clarity, confidence, and freedom in the Spirit.
Pray also for meaningful, Spirit-led conversations after the service, that seeds of the gospel would be planted and deepened in hearts.
We’ll have dinner with everyone and say our goodbyes. Pray for a good night of sleep
June 1:
Lasting Impact & Follow-Up
Prayer Focus: Pray that the seeds planted during the trip will take deep root. Pray for a safe flight home.
More about our trip . . .
Artwork to An Unknown God
The maze of cobblestone paths that winds beneath Tenjin has an old European feel by design. Paper lanterns give way to stained glass lamps and kawaii illustrations to Italian-style murals that serve as both art and landmarks. Even so, it’s disorienting in this country that’s less than 1% Christian to
Planting Seeds
by Sarah Kladler At the beginning of our trip, while exploring Tokyo, we visited the Shinjuku National Gardens. The gardens encompass a wide variety of flowers and trees, including the largest maples and cherry trees I have personally ever seen. The gardens originated as a feudal lord’s personal garden during
Our Broken World of Darkness; The hope of his LIGHT
by Karis Hicks “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 Only three full days have passed since Sarah and I landed to join the rest of the team, three days of observing the beauty and calmly collected order of life in Japan.
Paper Crane Evangelism
There is no sign for the little church plant in Fukuoka. From the outside, the eight-story building boasts colorful logos for popular department stores, but the seed of spiritual life is discretely located in a rented space on the top floor. In this modest environment, however, the smallest of the
The Collapse of Compassion and the Scaffold of Empathy
As newspapers repeatedly noted after World War I, “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” As a team, we have difficulty comprehending numbers like “millions” of lost Japanese. Our zeal for reaching the lost deadlocks with our finite brains and overprotective psyches.
Safe Arrival in Toyko
We’ve landed safely in a world that looks much like the one we left. Skyscrapers and suited businessmen. Bright lights, billboards, and delicious smells wafting from restaurants on every corner. Upon exiting the airport we entered the world’s most efficient metro system complete with color-coded pathways and marked “stalls” for
Fun facts about fukuoka
The Ramen Capital
Fukuoka is the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen, a popular pork-based variety known for its creamy broth and rich, savory flavor
Colossal buddah
Fukuoka Prefecture is home to one of the largest reclining Buddha statues on earth, weighing in at 300 tons of bronze
Gateway to Asia
Fukuoka is closer to Shanghai, China and Seoul, South Korea than it is to Tokyo, historically making it the gateway to the mainland
Study Shrine
Fukuoka Prefecture houses a shrine dedicated to the deity of learning. Students flock here to pray for acaemic success.